


The Bias of Judge, Jury, and Executioner

by IAmAllYetNotAtAll



Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Ice Box is mentioned, Irondad, M/M, Mention MCU-verse things, Pepperony - Freeform, Peter is 23, SPBB 2019, Spideypool - Freeform, Spideypool Big Bang 2019, Wade is a Damsel in Distress, bamf!peter parker, sorta - Freeform, though any Spidey can be applied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmAllYetNotAtAll/pseuds/IAmAllYetNotAtAll
Summary: Shield has tasked the Avengers with capturing and sending Deadpool to the Ice Box after a visiting diplomat is murdered. Peter has to disprove the allegations despite the substantial evidence against him, save his best friend, and also figure out why the thought of losing Wade terrifies him.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson
Comments: 24
Kudos: 347
Collections: Spideypool Big Bang - The 2019 Collection





	The Bias of Judge, Jury, and Executioner

**Author's Note:**

> Heeey :) First fic from the 2019 Spideypool Big Bang going out, this does not bring High School flashbacks... Jk though. This was so much fun!!! Kuddos to the mods for doing so much work to wrangle in so many people and get them ready for this awesome event :) 
> 
> The amazing art accompanying this fic is done by Luce-xoxo (their Deviantart user). Make sure to check them out!
> 
> Check out the Big Bang on Tumblr to get more fics and art throughout the next five weeks or so!

Tony has quite the soft spot when it comes to Peter Parker. If asked, he'd sigh and roll his eyes and admit that yes, he loves the brat.

Even if he has to tell him off for talking too much during missions, or for changing Dum-E's tell-tale beep into a siren just for shits and giggles, or if he constantly feels on the edge of a heart attack from having to deal with the aftermath of his fights with tougher and tougher bad guys as the years go on.

He's seen the kid go from shouldering the responsibilities of the world on his scrawny fourteen-year-old shoulders barely scraping through puberty to a college graduate still playing at Atlas with almost enough facial hair to need a shave every once in a while.

Peter's also gone from over-excited sort-of intern to actual personal assistant now that he's finally got that degree under his belt and things are running smooth. They work in the lab on all sorts of bits and bops, Peter's favourite is finding ways to facilitate and cheapen healthcare, and they're also the lead designers on both the Ironman and Spider-Man suits, as well as most of the Avengers tech.

May is healthy and happy, occasionally dating Happy but seeming perfectly content not to settle and he's not one to judge. She'd stood by his side at Peter's graduation (both, actually, high school and college) and they'd cried together, exchanging tissues. With Peter out of the house and in his own apartment, she's spearheading a new homeless shelter organization called F.E.A.S.T and is having a blast.

There's Pepper too, of course, and as the saying goes happy wife happy life and that couldn't be truer. She's still the best CEO in the universe and they're starting to talk about kids. He's still got his best friend from his wild college days and ever-faithful head of security, and the Avengers have righted their wrongs.

Things are good. Things are perfect. Things are delightful.

Except... except.

Deadpool. Wade Winston Wilson. The merc with a mouth.

The crack in the foundation of his happy home.

It's not that he's done anything, at least not in New York. It's the fact the potential is there. He leaves a trail of devastation wherever he goes and Tony's scared that Peter will be left with a broken heart.

He's poured that selfless heart and his soul into his friendship and professional relationship with Deadpool.

When the Avengers turned to Peter and said, " _No_ " he said, " _watch me._ "

Deadpool walked into New York ready to ruin everything all the while leaving destruction in his wake. All he's done since coming to the city eight months ago is follow behind Spider-Man like an obedient puppy and it makes it worse. Because that's what Peter sees. Wade's willingness to do whatever Spider-Man wants, the death count that's stilled (not stopped, Tony doesn't believe it's stopped), the inappropriate jokes that are overlooked, the slightly more appropriate jokes that are right up his alley, the mutual interests.

When Tony looks at Wade in the suit meant to cover the havoc Weapon X had done to his skin, he can only see what's trailing after him. Dishonorable discharge. Deaths, countless deaths. Pointless deaths. Gunshots and swords and grenades and bloody footprints. Bloody hands that can never be clean. Mental instability; chaos in human form.

And standing by his side, defending his current actions while forgiving the past is Peter. Innocent, sweet, kind. Too innocent. Too sweet. Too kind.

Naive, perhaps, is the better word for it.

Peter, who looked Tony Stark in the eyes and told him he chose to risk his teenaged life to protect the world because it was the right thing to do. Peter, who went to an entirely foreign country to fight by his side and to this day will defend his decision even if it holds heavy on Tony's shoulders. Peter, who can look a villain in the eyes and offer forgiveness time and time again.

Peter, who stared down the Avengers and said, " _Deadpool stays._ "

Tony stands down because he won't fight Peter on this decision. He sits back in his tower and watches and waits.

For Peter to figure out the truth for himself, or for Wade to show his true colours.

And, as predicted, one day it happens.

Oddly enough, he's not relieved. It's what he's been waiting for, but all he can picture is the look on Peter's face when he finds out he's been deceived by his best friend.

It's Steve and Natasha that pull him aside and set a laptop on the desk in front of him.

There are official Avengers all over the globe at this point. Some come and go; Wanda and Vision will visit when they're in the mood, Scott and Hope lend a hand when needed, T'challa is there when proper meetings are taking place. Thor is building a New Asgard and Clint is finally retired, but Steve, Nat, and Bruce are still around and it's nice. Bucky's around too, but they keep their distance and after some time he's managed to move on from that, at least enough to be cordial.

They sit by his sides and Natasha presses play on a video. All she says is, "just watch."

It's a video from a hotel room aimed towards the lounging area, placed there for security purposes. 

Tony doesn't know the woman on the screen, sitting on a sofa with a tablet in one hand and a wine glass in the other. She's in a dark suit and her heels are kicked off in the corner. Based on the size of the room and the brand name clothing, she's certainly important.

He has no problems identifying the figure that bursts through her window, startling her into dropping her glass and the tablet. She stands with her eyes wide and her hands in the air ready to fight the assailant.

The video has some audio and he can hear the window shatter and her startled gasp. The room's entrance door is thrown open and her security team rushes in but it's too late.

A gunshot rings out; the vigilante has shot his gun. He turns to the security team, does a peace sign, and flips out of the broken window. The woman crumbles to the ground, her brain splattered across the wine-stained carpet.

That outfit is unmistakable. Then there's the behaviour itself and the tricks of the mercenary trade that make him able to get into a seventy story room, in and out, without being caught or killed.

"Swedish diplomat. Here for a visit and here we are," Natasha tells him.

"Any idea why?"

"Contract, probably. Not that Deadpool's ever needed a reason," she says, "for now we've managed to keep it under the radar, but we've been tasked with catching him once and for all."

For some reason, there isn't an arrest warrant for Wade Wilson in the United States. No matter what he's done, they let him get away with it because no jail can really contain him and it seems more trouble than it's worth when he tends to do the things no one else wants to do. (Destroy a child trafficking ring, take down slave traders, kill the head honcho in charge of a new drug on the streets - it's all about the money and who pays most, but hey - at least it gets done.)

She's not on the up top of the totem pole and Shield has managed to hush anyone with questions. They don't want to tip off Wilson, nor do they want to start an international incident. The Avengers belong to the nations; they're in charge of sorting this.

"What's the plan?"

"We have an idea..." Steve hesitates.

"Deadpool isn't going to give us an easy in, and if he has any idea we're after him he's out of here and I hate to admit this, but as clueless as he acts he's good at what he does and it might be harder to find him than you think. We get one shot, and that's it," Natasha steps in.

"Which means?"

"He's most vulnerable around Peter. I spoof his number and impersonate him, set up a meetup, and we surround him and take him down. They want us to take him to the Ice Box, and they're going to give us an inhibitor collar to contain him. Once we have him we put that on and we're set."

Tony replays the clip. There's no denying that that's Deadpool. He still asks, "should we ask Peter about it? He might know something we don't."

"There's no explaining this away, Tony. Even if she was some alien sent to murder us all, that would be Avengers business. He has no right to kill some woman, with or without reason. I'm tired of hearing about his stupid messes and wondering why he isn't being held accountable. And listen, Peter's a good kid, but he's a kid. We can't expect him to be impartial."

Tony hesitantly agrees.

"I suppose so."

They go over their plan in detail and Tony ends up in charge of getting the best time and place to make their attack. He's tasked with going through Peter's texts to emulate the way they talk to each other so that Natasha can be convincing. He's also in charge of making sure Peter never hears about any of this.

Peter happens to be his literal assistant which means there's no such thing as space when they work fourty-plus hours together a week.

Normally, Tony has an excellent poker face. He's grown up as a source of gossip to the media and knows how to hide his thoughts. When he's feeling vulnerable, there are the sunglasses. That's not an option in his lab with Peter rattling off equations and nonsense at his side. Hiding this from the kid that's almost his own feels a bit like betrayal and deception.

He reminds himself that Deadpool has gone and killed in cold blood, not for the first time and probably not the last, and it helps ease the tension in his shoulders just that bit.

It reminds him of telling Peter, nearly a decade ago, that he's taking the suit away. It had hurt like hell, but it had felt necessary. He's come to regret that harshness drawn from love and he wonders if he's going to feel that way again.

When in doubt, he plays the clip again.

That's Deadpool and that's a dead woman. That's important. She had a family that loved her, a job that was her world. She deserves to be alive.

But then...

He asks Karen for footage of their first meeting.

**\----**

The very first time Peter and Wade meet, both in suit, of course, is at a circus.

It's not exactly glamorous but it's a tale for the grandkids, or so Wade says.

There's some sort of money laundering thing going on in the background and Peter's there for that and Wade's there for the mistreatment of the animals and they find themselves with a mutual cause. Sometime after hours they're both separately sneaking into the big tent and taking down performers with guns.

Peter's webbing up the baddies and Wade's opening every cage and letting the animals free. The elephant wanders off to do its own thing, but the lion is not in a good mood. He gets bitten, but still pets it's mane and calls it a pretty kitty.

"Only way to end a circus is to go for the _juggler_ , man!" Peter calls out to Wade who's trying to get his arm out of the lion's jaw.

They both laugh at the terrible pun.

Once the performers are all tangled in his webs, he goes to the man missing a chunk of his arm and presses his hands into the bloody mess of his limb.

"I don't know if you're with these guys or not, but we should get you to a hospital. This looks really awful, to be honest."

"And if I said it didn't hurt, I'd be _lion_." Wade chuckles and Peter can't help but join in. He tugs his arm free, "don't worry about it, it'll heal. It's my superpower."

His bloody limb and his good hand do what might be considered jazz hands and he squeals loudly, "and that gorgeous ass and skin-tight spandex tells me you must be Spidey! Pleasure to meet you, though I promise I can make this much more pleasurable if you let me." He extends the torn hand in greeting.

"Um, yeah. That's me. And you're..." Peter reaches out and grabs his wrist, avoiding the mangled hand, and moves it up and down.

"Deadpool, AKA Wade Wilson, AKA The Merc With a Mouth, AKA Ryan Reynolds. Oh. Also AKA Spidey's number one fan. I'm in charge of the Discord and my Twitter handle is 'at' _spideysfineass_. You should check me out."

"Um. I... I don't know what to say to that." Peter wipes his fingers on his waist, clearing away the blood. "Are you with these guys or..."

"Nope. Just here to rescue the elephant. Isn't he a cutie?"

It's wandering through the main tent in search of water.

"Then you're a superhero? Are you new to the area? I haven't seen you around before."

Peter's twenty-two at this point, but hasn't gotten over his awkwardness. Not that Wade seems to mind.

"More of a vigilante. And I'm here just for your sexy self. Also because I've been banned from twenty other states. Not that that's important. Wanna grab some food before the popo gets here?"

There are a few seconds of silence and eventually, Peter answers, "this has been pretty _intents_ ; a food break would be _purrfect_."

Between puns and other horrible jokes and love of food and playful attitudes; it's the start of a beautiful friendship.

**\----**

It's really nothing that Tony hasn't seen between them already. He's never heard them talk without one of them laughing every few minutes at something no one else finds funny. Even after he goes over Wade's red ledger with Peter, he still thinks meeting up with him for patrol later that night is a good idea.

He says, " _People change._ "

He says, " _He hasn't done any of those things in the two weeks that I've known him._ "

He says, " _Besides, it means I can keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble._ "

Peter's in possession of a Stark phone, only using the one as both Peter and Spider-Man because he can't be bothered with two phones, and he hates breaking his privacy like this, but it's a necessary evil. He has Friday scan all of his texts with his contact 'DP' to redact anything private.

He's always had some doubts about the exact nature of their relationship, especially since when asked Peter just laughs it off. There's a lot of flirting on Wade's side of things, and from what he's seen Peter hasn't exactly discouraged it. If there are pictures or special texts, he doesn't need to see any of that. He's genuinely surprised when it comes back with nothing removed.

There's... a lot.

Those stories of parents getting their phone bills and finding a balance of several thousand dollars come to mind. Ten cents per text would be one hell of a bill. Not to mention the excessive amount of pictures and gifs.

Way too many cat memes. He hates that he knows what a 'meme' is.

\-----

Sent:  
_Why didn't the astronaut come home to his wife?_

Received:  
_Why's that?_

Sent:  
_He needed his space._

Received:  
_Who invented the round table?_

Sent:  
_Not King Arthur I'm guessing?_

Received:  
_Nope! It was Sir Cumference._

\----

Aside from endless terrible jokes, talks about where they're going to eat, and when they're meeting up for patrol, there's a three day conversation about the messages and symbolism found in the movie ' _Zootopia_ ', a furious hour of the pros and cons of all the live-action Disney remakes, and a never-ending discussion about pirates versus ninjas. It comes up at all hours of the day, whenever something reminds them of it, and Tony's interested in the fact that Peter is on the side of ninjas. 

Peter brings up Natasha and Clint, and Wade retaliates with Captain Jack Sparrow.

His kid's a complete dork and he loves him for it.

There's no doubt Nat will easily replicate Peter's texting method, it's distinct.

Tony's not sure how many hours he spends going through footage and texts. Even pulling up a video feed from his own suit from various missions.

Wade tends to fight by Spider-Man's side when there's an issue in the city, but for big Avengers missions he stays behind. Peter's yet to convince them to let him tag along.

When he has what he needs, he sends it off to Nat and Steve.

He knows when they tend to meet up, he knows their favourite fast food joints, he knows their hang out spots. They'll set up a fake meeting and catch him in no time. Natasha responds saying two nights from now will be go-time; _be ready_.

Tony spends the rest of the day, and most of the night, in front of his monitor.

Peter shows up in the morning for work; it's a Friday and he plays Katy Perry's ' _Last Friday Night_ ' at least twice throughout their shift. He's in good spirits and humming at his desk.

After meeting Wade, Peter's been in an overall better mood. Tony can't tell if it's the matter of a new friend or a superhero partner or something else altogether. He doesn't want to think about that when he's about to send Wade to a prison with no visitation rights.

Once Peter's left for the evening, he calls down Steve for a chat.

He rummages through creaky cupboards and finds a dusty bottle of scotch. He rinses a glass and pours himself over four ounces. He takes it back to his desk and sits in front of the laptop waiting for Captain America to show his face.

Between him and Natasha, he's the one most likely to listen. Maybe.

Natasha has made her stance clear, and Steve has his moments of being a stick in the mud, but Tony's putting all his eggs in the Steve Rogers basket for this one.

He's not in uniform - just a t-shirt and jeans and a bit of scruff. There's something a bit more relaxed about him now compared to when they'd first met, and Tony knows he's in the same boat. The burden of keeping the world safe has spread to many pairs of hands and not just the six and it helps with the nightmares, the pressure, the tension from different leadership styles.

"Hey, Tony. What's up?" Tony gestures to the seat beside him and Steve sits. His eyes fall to the glass in his hand and the liquor bottle in arms reach, "Having a rough day?"

"You could say that." He takes a sip, trying not to grimace at the burn. His alcohol intake has diminished greatly in the past eight or so years. He's not as used to it as he once was. He sets the glass down and it tinks loudly against the desk's surface, "I'm out."

Steve frowns, "Out of what?"

"The mission. I can't do it. I'm staying out of it from here on out."

"Are you talking about capturing Deadpool? He killed that woman, Tony. He's only going to do it again. We have to do this and we're going to need your help."

"I can't do that to Peter."

"You're doing it _for_ him. Deadpool is a danger to both Peter and himself. He needs to be imprisoned. I understand that Peter won't be happy with our actions, but we can't trust him to be impartial. Not when it comes to Deadpool."

"He's not a kid, Steve!"

And sure, to this day Tony still has a hard time convincing himself of that, but now he understands Peter's indignation when the idea of being the youngest of them causes unwarranted distrust or a lack of confidence in his skills. He feels indignant on his behalf right now because he trusts Peter. Even when he looks at him and sees the bright-eyed fourteen-year-old, he knows he'll get the job done at the end of the day. No matter the detours or half-assed plans.

"He's twenty-three, he knows what he's doing. And let me remind you that Peter is the only person here who has done everything in his power every minute of every day to make sure no one dies on his watch; good guys or bad guys. If Wilson is killing people, he _will_ take a stand."

"It's not an ' _if_ ', Tony. It's happened. And we need to stop it from happening again. Why the sudden change of heart? Did Peter say something, or..." Steve seems genuinely bewildered by the entire conversation.

He taps the glass against the counter twice. The sound is not as comforting as it once was. He takes another sip. He'll need a refill soon.

"I watched a lot of footage. Read lots of texts. Found some video surveillance from a few of the places they go to. Think I know more about Spider-Man and Deadpool than those folks on the internet at this point. And... watch. Friday, play the footage from last Saturday. A bit past midnight."

The laptop screen, a few inches further up the desk, flickers as the AI pulls up the corresponding video.

\-----

The two young men are at Wade's apartment, obvious from the atrocious old people style flowery sofa that Tony would never have let Peter bring into his own place. The feed is from Peter's suit, and they can see Wade sitting on one end of the sofa, dressed in civvies with knees bent, balancing a tub of ice cream on them. Peter's mirroring his position, and they can see that he's eating the flavour named after his mentor even though Tony knows it isn't his favourite.

He's in his suit, and Tony's actually surprised that he's still preserving his secret identity at this point.

They're eating and chatting, the t.v a low buzz somewhere in the background.

"-kay, okay, my turn. Worst teacher ever?" Wade asks.

"Hm. I've always been pretty chill with my teachers, I don't - hold on, nope. I got it. My aunt called her a bitch. To her face. And my aunt's basically a saint. Miss Smith. Legit, her last name was 'Smith'. She was my English teacher in my freshman year."

"What'd she do?"

"Now that's an extra question, Mr. Wilson, are you prepared to make that sacrifice?"

"Come on, baby boy. Don't be a tease." Wade's foot reaches out and pokes his knee.

Something of note is that Wade's never out of suit; not anywhere near Tony, anyway. Or any of the Avengers. He knows what's under there, of course, he knows what Weapon X has done to him, but he's always adamant about hiding himself. The ease with which he's conducting himself outside of the suit, face and hands and feet on display, is nothing short of telling.

"Alright then," Peter says with laughter in his tone, "My Uncle Ben passed away early June. Exams were mid-June. See where this is going? I wasn't... I wasn't in the best headspace and I missed a lot of prep days. All of my other teachers helped me get up to date and they took their lunchtime to go over things with me and I stayed after school to work in the library. Mrs. Smith, on the other hand, said my attendance was my responsibility and if I had questions to ask the other students. She wouldn't even tell me what they'd gone over when I wasn't there."

"What a fucking cunt."

"Aunt May was furious. She insisted on a meeting, but the principal couldn't do anything since she isn't obligated to do that extra stuff. And I get it if she was busy or something, but there's a better way to go about it."

"I bet she has twenty cats and no friends and has one of those oversized wine glasses hidden in her closet."

"Oddly specific but probably accurate. Moving on. Let's go a bit lighter with... who was your favourite teacher?"

"Now you're just stealing my questions."

"You're the one who wanted to play twenty questions. Sorry I didn't come prepared."

"Fi-ine. Best teacher... Fuck if I remember her name, but my third-grade art teacher. She was one of those types who said literally every drawing is a work of art, even my bullshit stick figures, and I think she had some ideas about... about stuff going on at home and she was always extra nice to me and would compliment my drawings and tell me I should pursue it as a way to clear my head. I think if I'd been able to keep her as a teacher for a few years I might have worked harder in school. I wonder where she's at now."

"I didn't expect you to have such a sweet answer."

"I am _the_ sweetest, cutie pie."

Peter's responding laugh is soft.

"And I like your art." His head moves to the side and focuses on the fridge, where there is a drawing of the two of them riding a unicorn held up with a ' _Welcome to Canada_ ' magnet. "Most of it. A little less fond of the X-rated stuff, but I've heard it's not true art if it isn't risqué."

Wade's laugh is loud and heartfelt.

\-----

Tony reaches out and hits the spacebar, pausing the video. There's silence for a good few seconds.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what the takeaway is from that," Steve says. There's some remorse in his tone and Tony doesn't take offense.

"I know my kid, Steve. I've been around him for about nine years and I know what he's like when he's hiding something from me, or when he's excited about something, or when he's got a crush, or when he thinks he can pull a fast one on me. This I've never seen but I know what it means."

Steve simply stares and waits for him to continue on.

He hesitates; it feels like a secret that isn't his to share. He reminds himself it's more of an observation. Peter hasn't spoken to him about any of this. (That hurts a little, but he's fairly certain May knows none of this and that eases the pain a bit.)

"They're not together, but it's obvious that Peter's in love with him," Tony states, "And I can't hurt him like this. I want no part in locking up Wilson."

"I see..."

"Listen, I just think that if Peter can see that much in Wade, then maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe we talk to Peter and see what he has to say."

"Tony," Steve's voice is gentle. After so many years, they know how to talk to each other. "I understand what you're getting at. I know that Peter's brilliant, and I know that he's a wonderful person. He wants to save the world and he actually does it regularly. But people like Deadpool are convincing. How many times do you hear about serial killers and the people that admire them, no matter how much evidence exists of their atrocities? That's nothing against Peter, it's just how people like Wade work. They're manipulators and damn good ones at that."

"I..."

Tony recalls Wade's words in the video he'd just shown Steve. He recalls Peter's laugh, Wade's smile. The way they interact. He knows the horrible things Wade has done, but... maybe he's as manipulated as the rest, but he can't see a killer in that video. At the very least, he can't see a bad person.

"I know I can't stop you. We signed the Accords for this reason. I'm just saying we should consider talking to Peter to get more facts about the situation."

"I don't think that's possible, I'm sorry, Tony. As Nat said, we can't risk tipping him off. We have to act quickly."

"Well. You guys do whatever you want, but don't come asking me for help."

The glass tinks on the counter once and then he downs what's left of it. He refills it quietly. Steve leaves the room with another apology.

Natasha would have been no kinder. He still feels like he made the wrong call. Or that he could have gone about this better.

He spends the next couple of hours in front of the computer watching videos.

Then... and then.

Peter bursts through the door leading to his lab, hair disheveled and slightly out of breath. He's in the Spider-Man suit with the mask retracted. As the door hits the wall, Peter slows down and takes in a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"Hey, Tony." He clears his throat.

"Hey, underling. What's brought you to my evil lair?"

" _Our_ evil lair," Peter corrects. He goes up to his boss and stands beside him. The laptop screen is paused on Tony's email, his AI smart enough to switch the tab away from the slew of texts he was pouring over. His eyes pass over that and land on the drink in his hand. "Are you drinking?"

"You get an 'A+' in observation class, you'll get your perception major in no time."

Peter glosses over the subject because he's in a hurry, but Tony's sure it'll come back to haunt him later. 

"I need your help."

"What's up?"

"Wade's missing," he says without preamble. "We always meet up Friday night to hang out unless one of us has a mission and he would have told me if he was going somewhere. He never forgets to tell me because he knows it freaks me out. I checked our usual spots and went to his place and I can't find him. I've texted and called and there's no answer. Can you track his phone?"

Tony sips at his scotch and blinks slowly.

Peter shifts from one foot to the other anxiously, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth.

There's a pause of a couple of seconds, and then Tony stands abruptly. He takes his glass, the liquor, and starts walking.

"Follow me, wonderboy."

Peter frowns but obediently trots after him into the elevator.

"Take us down to Captain Spandex," Tony orders his AI. "Let him know we're on our way."

"Do you know where he is?" Peter asks.

"Great question."

Tony doesn't add to his statement and Peter keeps glancing at him out of the corner of his eye the entire way to the common rooms. The doors ding open and they wander down the hall to the living room, where Friday tells him Steve, Natasha, and Bruce are currently located. Steve and Natasha are sitting in front of the television, but there's a laptop on the coffee table that has most of their attention. Bruce is reading some sort of medical journal, here mostly for the company.

Tony points at Steve.

"Ask him."

Peter folds his arms over his chest, watching confused as Tony sits heavily on the recliner and pours himself more scotch. He sets the bottle on the floor next to his seat and makes no move to speak any further. Steve stands and slips out from between the couch and table to stop in front of Peter.

"Alright," Peter hesitantly agrees. He looks up at Steve, "Wade's missing. He didn't show up for pizza night and he doesn't miss pizza night. I looked around but I can't find him. Based on all this," he gestures vaguely around in reference to their situation, "I suppose you know something about that? Did he have to go on a mission? He always texts me if he's leaving, even if it's last minute."

Peter's got a bad feeling growing in his chest, worsening by the second as Tony sips his alcoholic drink and Natasha looks away from him back to the laptop on the coffee table. Steve's eyes shift to the side.

"Well?" He prompts.

Steve sighs. He holds his hand out to the side, "Nat? Can I get the computer?"

She hands it to him, the video he wants already set up to view. He turns it around so that Peter can see the screen and hits play.

It's not a long video; a total of twenty-seven seconds. Deadpool's efficient.

Peter doesn't uncross his arms. Doesn't even move as it plays out. Everyone else is silent, watching him, but his expression remains unchanging. When it finishes, Steve carefully closes the lid and reaches back to hand it to Natasha.

His eyes flicker to Steve's and an eyebrow raises, "And?"

"And... and we had to do something about that," Steve says, a bit uncertain that he hasn't understood Peter's question.

"And what did you _do_ , exactly?" Peter asks, tone carefully even.

"Deadpool's been captured and is currently on his way to prison."

"No trial, no lawyer, no jury?" Peter's hands clench, pressing them tightly against his chest to hide the shaking. He wants to scream.

"The Accords-" Steve starts.

Peter raises a hand to silence him. "Don't. I'm not - I can't talk to you about this." He spins on his heel and takes quick strides to Tony's side, staring down at him until he meets his gaze. It sort of explains the return to alcohol, though that's only making him angrier. "How'd you get him?"

Tony spins the glass in his hands. One second. Two. Then he pours out the truth.

"I went through your texts. Nat spoofed your number and pretended to be you, set up a fake meeting, and they caught him."

"You... you were in on this? You did this?" Peter's voice grows strained as he tries to control himself. He doesn't want to shout even though the betrayal stings deeply.

Tony doesn't answer.

"And none of you thought, hey, maybe we should check in with his best friend. You know, the person Wade spends most of his time with. No, you just decided that a little video was all you needed to-"

"Don't be angry with Tony," Steve interrupts. "He was in on it at first, but that's exactly what he was thinking. I was the one who told him we couldn't risk telling you."

"I don't want to hear anything from you, Captain Bullshit," Peter snaps.

Steve trudges on, "We were supposed to set up the meeting tomorrow. We did it tonight instead because we knew he'd warn you. It's not his fault."

Peter ignores him and keeps his focus on Tony, "Where is he going? What prison?"

"The Ice Box," he answers.

"The Ice- the fucking Ice Box?!" Peter exclaims, "You guys do realize he's imprisoned some of those guys, right? That's - wait. How are you containing him? He's not going to go quietly."

"Inhibitor collar," Natasha supplies.

Silence. A pause. A second.

Peter reaches down to grab the bottle of scotch. He turns and throws it with his full strength; it hits the far wall and shatters on impact, the glass and its contents scattering across the carpet. The sound is piercing and most of them flinch. Peter doesn't say anything as he does it, and when it's out of his hold his hands reach up to tug at his hair. Oddly enough, no one speaks right away. Perhaps daunted by his rage, since he isn't known for acting out.

He turns back around just enough to lock eyes with Steve.

"You realize that you've sentenced him to die, right?" He asks, voice shaky. He swallows past the lump in his throat, "You insist on following the Accords and doing things by the book, but you've got no problem giving someone the death sentence, huh? That makes so much _sense_."

"He's not going to die, Peter, he's been given a regular jail sentence," Steve defends.

"Yeah. No. Without his powers, Wade is going to die," Peter says. Everyone looks uneasy. Tony sips at his drink. "He has cancer, you assholes. Without his powers to protect him, it's going to take hold all over again and he's going to die a slow and painful death. And that's on you."

"I... I didn't know that. I'm sorry, that's not the intention. We can talk to-"

"Obviously," he snaps. "I'm done with this."

He walks two steps towards the exit but hesitates. He returns to Tony's side. He takes the glass out of his hand. "We can talk about this when I'm not pissed off, but this isn't going to make the guilt go away." His hand clenches closed and bits of glass and what was left of the drink rain down onto Tony's lap.

Peter storms out then, leaving the Avengers behind.

Tony brushes his hand over his pants, wiping the glass shards onto the ground. The room's a bit of a mess now, but he can't be bothered to clean.

"We should call Fury, let him know that-" Bruce starts.

"He won't care," Tony cuts in. "No one's going to care. They have a dead diplomat and someone to blame. Everyone's happy."

"The plan wasn't to kill him," Steve says. There's guilt there, and Tony understands it far too well.

"Not much ever goes according to plan."

Bruce sets down his book and goes to fetch him some paper towels to wipe up some of the liquor wetting his thigh, though he's tipsy enough not to care about it.

"Do you think Peter is going to do something stupid?" Bruce asks worriedly.

"He knows better than to try and sneak someone out of the Ice Box," Natasha says. "I think. Tony?"

He doesn't respond because he already knows the truth. No need to sneak someone out if he never gets there in the first place.

"You don't think he'd try, do you, Tony?" Steve asks into the silence, "It'd be way too dangerous. And if he got caught they won't respect his secret identity."

"I don't think we have to worry about that," he answers carefully.

He finally stands. Bits of glass tumble to the carpet. He goes to the sofa and sits next to Natasha. He opens the laptop and clicks away, getting into the Shield systems to track the helicarrier taking Wade up North. They have about an hour's headstart, but Stark jets are faster.

"He's going after them," Steve says plainly, finally catching on. "He's taking one your jets. Tony, you can't let him do that! Spider-Man is the first person they'll suspect, and that's not to mention the fact that Wilson is still a convicted murderer. If he stops him from reaching the Ice Box, they won't stop until they get him. What's he going to do, hide him in his room?"

"I told you, Captain, I'm out. This has nothing to do with me."

On the server, he can tell that one of his jets are locked into the GPS location of the helicarrier. Peter's on the move. Natasha's watching by his side, but she's quiet.

He huffs, "Friday, don't let Peter leave on one of the jets."

"You are not authorized to override Mr. Parker's request," her voice echoes through the speaker.

"Excuse me?" He asks, bewildered. "Tony, seriously. You can't let him do this. He'll get himself caught and he'll be accused of aiding a criminal. You have to be reasonable here."

Natasha finally adds her input, stopping Tony from answering harshly.

"It's not a brilliant plan, but Peter's plenty smart. If he executes it well, he can get in and out undetected. And as we know, he has lots of access to Friday; with a few doctored clips, it's like he never left the building. If Shield comes asking for an alibi, are you going to out him to Shield? Because I won't."

"And what about Deadpool? We just let him off the hook?"

There's silence because none of them can ignore that.

A woman is dead; there's accountability. 

Friday speaks up, "Boss, Mr. Parker has a recorded message he'd like me to play for you."

"Shoot," Tony says.

Peter's voice comes through the speakers next, and his message plays out.

" _So I think I've cooled off enough to record this. I guess. Now, I'm sure you're like... Peter, Deadpool killed a lady! He needs to go to prison! And I'm not disagreeing; if that was the truth. But I'm going to ask you to check the timestamp on that video. March twelfth, 10:38 PM. Did I remember right? Don't answer, I know I did. And if any of you had stopped to think, hey, let's ask Peter if he knows where Wade was that night, I would have told you that he was with me. We were together all night. Not-not like that, I mean, um,_ "

He clears his throat.

" _We were playing the Remastered Halo. He was less than a foot away from me from about 8 PM to noon the next day. If you had just asked, I could have told you that. And then I would have told you who actually killed that woman. But you didn't care, because it's easier to blame the obvious choice. No matter what he does, no matter how much he tries to do good, none of you are ever going to change your minds about him. You have this idea of him and it's a disservice to how hard he's worked to be a better person. Honestly, I have no idea why he wants any of your approval, but he does._

_"Anyway, to the point. It's Chameleon, he impersonated Wade and killed that woman. I'm sure that sounds like excuses to you, or like I'm shifting the blame, but I'm not. We've been after him for the past two months about this weapon trade he's planning and we've been closing in on him. Everyone knows about my no-kill policy, trying to get me arrested wouldn't work, so he went for the easy option. And you all fell for his bait; hook, line, and sinker. Now I'm down my partner and I have to waste my time saving his ass, while Chameleon is sitting on a stack of guns waiting for a boat to come and take them away while he's several million dollars richer._

_"Or - you guys can get someone to the East Center docks. He's living on the St-Marge, it's docked and the name's written on the side in big red letters. Couldn't miss it. It won't take much to get him to admit the truth. It means we won't catch our buyer, but at least the guns won't go out on the market and you'll get your actual killer and clear Wade's name."_

Peter clears his throat again, and his voice softens in sadness, " _I'll go get Wade, you guys just... do the right thing. End recording._ "

The speaker crackles as the recording shuts off and Friday cuts the sound completely.

The room stays quiet for a long while afterward.

"Looks like we have a new mission," Natasha says to dispell the tension.

"Suppose so," Steve agrees.

**\----**

Out of the common rooms, Peter takes the elevator up to his bedroom to change out of his Spider-Man suit. He pulls on some black, non-descript clothes, a hoodie, jeans, and worn-out sneakers. If anyone would go through the trouble of saving Wade Wilson, it'd be Spider-Man, and he can't let anyone make that connection. Then he heads up to the roof to borrow a jet.

Friday mostly does whatever he asks, he's learned, and the door opens up for him.

"State your name."

"Spider-baby," he mumbles, and the jet boots up. "Any chance of changing that?"

"No."

He sits in the pilot's seat and lets his hands settle on the armrests. His fingers dig into the leather and he tries not to tear it. He taps his foot as some form of release for his anger.

The tears, well, those can't be helped.

He wipes them away and tries to gather himself but he can't, not right away.

It hurts. It's not just the betrayal, although that digs deep like an arrow right through the heart.

After all that nonsense with the Accords, he's always kept some distance from Steve Rogers. They're friendly and they respect each other, they have each other's back, but they aren't family. They're co-workers and allies. Tony - he's family. Knowing that he'd taken part in this, even if only at the beginning as Steve had said, is painful. Tony knows what Wade means to him, at least, as much as Peter is willing to admit to himself, yet he'd still thought that going after Wade without context was the right thing to do.

Besides that, the thing that really hurts is that none of them believed they could discuss this with him ahead of time.

They thought he'd be blind to any wrongdoing on Wade's part, that faced with the truth he'd... what, deny it? Call them liars? He's not some love-struck teenager. He's a superhero; if his best friend has reverted back to his murderous ways, he's going to do something about it. It'd be disappointing and upsetting if Wade had done it, but he'd have faced it.

He makes his recording and sends it off.

No use moping around, right? He's got a best friend to save.

He presses some buttons and locks into the GPS of Shield's helicarrier. The Stark jet is quick and also unmarked. No one will know who it belongs to if they see it. 

Peter also knows the full contents of the jet. There are some snacks and clothes and weapons. He goes through the drawers taking stock, trying to figure out his best course of action as his jet gets closer to his friend. The GPS blinks, the red dot that is their destination growing nearer and nearer.

"I'm on my way, Wade, hold on..." he whispers to himself.

It takes about an hour to catch up somewhere across the Canadian border. He's activated the jet's 'incognito mode', deflectors opening up on its outer layer to appear invisible. He's hidden from anyone looking up and any radar systems tracking the skies.

The helicarrier, also with no obvious markings on it indicating its association to Shield, is within his sights.

"Move over it. I'm dropping down."

Friday quietly obeys.

He grabs a couple of choice weapons and heads to the back of the jet where the door slowly opens. It makes them visible, but only from that direction. The helicarrier can't see them approaching. He leans over the edge and peers down. Wade's a few feet beneath him, slowly dying.

He has no parachute; if he misses the jet will come after him, but it'll be the end of this mission.

He jumps.

Peter lands heavy on its roof, his hands pressed to the metal to stick him in place. He hears shouting from inside its confines. His left hand keeps him in place and he pulls back his right one. He forms a fist and punches straight through the steel forming the helicarrier. Without missing a beat he drops a smoke bomb into the opening and leans away as it takes effect. 

One of Natasha's weapons he's taken as his own.

The helicarrier starts plummeting, the autopilot not activated, and he takes it as his queue to enter. He shoves his hand into the hole and tugs, tearing apart the steel until the opening is wide enough for him to slip through. He lands in the middle of the helicarrier and glances around, a hand over his mouth, but the smoke has mostly dissipated.

There are four Shield agents all slumped over in sleep. One is the pilot, half out of his seat.

Peter rushes forward and adjusts him so he doesn't injure himself, and presses a few keys until the vehicle is driving itself. As angry as he is, that no-kill policy stays strong. Once the helicarrier has straightened out, he takes a proper look around.

The three other agents are dressed in uniform with weapons, sitting on the two benches lining the sides of the helicarrier. He glances over them briefly, but his eyes focus on Wade.

He's chained from his wrist to a wall at the very back, changed out of his Deadpool outfit and into the orange jumpsuit the Ice Box uses to dress their inmates. There's a thick collar around his neck and Peter feels his eyes burn with tears. He snaps the chain out of the wall, hoists Deadpool over his shoulder, and carefully climbs back out of the opening in the roof.

He has one webshooter on his right wrist, hidden beneath his hoodie. He tugs back the sleeve and takes aim at what looks like empty skies above them.

It lands on the end of the open door. He runs and leaps, using the momentum to swing him over and around, landing in a crouch inside the jet with Wade still safely tucked over his shoulder.

He goes inside and it closes up behind him. He carefully sets Wade on the floor.

"Friday, turn us around and start heading back to the US."

"Yes, Mr. Parker."

Peter looks over Wade and takes in a deep breath at what he finds. He's been beaten, and it's obvious it was after the inhibitor collar was placed around his neck as the wounds haven't healed. There's a long cut along his cheek and several cuts on his hands, from where he was likely trying to protect himself. He breaks the chain around his wrist and throws it aside. Next, he gently touches along his chest and stomach, looking for any damage. Right above the center of his chest, there's some dampness that Peter's assuming comes from blood though the red doesn't come through properly on the orange, and as he presses down he can definitely feel a cracked rib.

It wouldn't have been Steve or Natasha; as angry as he is, he knows they aren't cruel. This is those Shield agents getting upset by Wade's mouthiness and taking it out against him.

He shoves his finger against his neck and prays for a pulse.

It's there, fluttering and weak.

He wraps his fingers around the collar, taking it in his hands while being careful not to hurt Wade, and he tugs.

There's not much known about these things, but Peter's always heard the one truth - it would take a grenade to get it off. There's a small code panel at its back, but he'd have no idea where to start guessing.

He tugs with all his strength.

With a huff, it comes apart. From the force of his tugging the two halves fling in either direction out of his grip. He doesn't bother to look and see where they've landed.

His hands move to cradle his face, waiting and watching.

"Come on, Wade. Wake up," he urges.

The cut along his cheek heals.

He takes a deep breath anxiously. His powers are functioning again and slowly working their way through him. Fixing the wounds and then getting rid of the effects of the smoke bomb.

His bright blue eyes blink open and meet his watery gaze.

"Wade!"

"Did I die and go to heaven?"

"What? No, you're alive."

"You sure? Because you're heavenly."

Peter laughs, holding back his tears. It clicks, and one of his hands fly up to his face, fully visible. The other is still supporting Wade's head, though he's slowly sitting upright.

"Oh, right. Um. It's me, it's Spidey."

"You're as sexy as I thought you'd be."

Wade manages to sit up, though Peter's hands are on his shoulders for support. He can't help the choked sob and throws his arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispers.

"Thanks for the rescue. Although if I'd know ahead of time, I would have worn my best dress and heels. And sexy underwear for a reward."

"You're stupid," Peter says warmly, the insult an obvious term of endearment in this case.

He pulls back to lock eyes with Wade, his hands cupping his face. He brushes his thumbs across his cheeks. They're both silent for nearly a minute, just staring at each other.

Almost like a compulsion, he leans forward and presses their lips together. The kiss is soft, a gentle pressure. He closes his eyes and feels warmed by the feel of Wade's chapped lips against his own. It doesn't take long for Wade to respond, kissing back and hands finding their way to his waist.

He pulls back and rests their foreheads together, "I'm sorry, I should have asked-"

He starts to apologize for the impromptu kiss, a bit shy by his own boldness. They aren't together, despite Wade's flirting and him not doing anything to stop it. He's always excused it as 'not the time' or 'maybe it's a joke'. Or that annoying rom-com belief that it would ruin their friendship which unfortunately feels true in real life too.

Wade tilts his head up and kisses him again.

It's everything he always imagined it would be. Peter's fairly certain he's never made a smarter decision in his life.

Their arms wrap around each other tightly. Wade's hand slips into his hair and tangles into it, holding him close. He parts his lips and their tongues meet and he finds he needs air. His heart is racing. But he doesn't want to stop.

Wade's alive. 

He got to him in time. No matter if the Avengers will listen and catch Chameleon, he knows that Wade's alive and he's going to do everything in his power to keep it that way.

"You sure I'm not dead?" Wade asks with a smile when he pulls back for them to catch their breath.

He laughs and nods, "I'm sure. Are you okay?"

"I am way more than okay," Wade says, kissing him again. This time it's short and sweet. He's not sure why they haven't been doing this for months already. 

Peter pulls back completely, untangling himself from Wade. He clears his throat, trying to get his wits back in order.

"We can't take you back to New York. We'll have to drop you off somewhere..." Peter's train of thought has shifted.

As distracting as kissing Wade seems to be, his overall safety is even more preoccupying. As he draws back, Wade follows for another kiss he doesn't supply.

Peter stands and wanders to the main controls.

"Until this is figured out, you need to stay under the radar. I sent them after Chameleon, but who knows if they're actually doing it. Anyway, they might still want you at the Ice Box even if I can prove your innocence..."

Peter's talking mostly to himself as Wade's got a one-track mind.

He stands, a bit wobbly on his feet but his strength is returning to him. He follows Peter to the front of the jet. He's kneeling, pulling the panel off the bottom of the controls.

"I'll get rid of the tracking system," Peter says, tugging out a specific wire. "Friday, shut down any video and audio monitoring inside the jet."

"Yes, sir." She knows not to refer to him by name in Wade's presence, though he finds it funny now. He knows the taste of his mouth but Wade doesn't know his name yet.

"Do you have a safe house somewhere I can take you? I'll do what I can to clear your name, but it might take a while-"

Peter's mumbling as he's playing with the wires. Wade reaches down and tugs him to his feet. They stare at each other, both out of suit and out of mask. Wade leans forward and kisses him again, unrestrained now that he has some form of permission. Peter's response is a gentle hum, hands grasping his shoulders and their bodies slowly meeting in the middle.

Eventually, he pulls back, "Wade, come on."

Their mouths meet again. Peter's lower back is pressed against the controls and he wraps his arms around Wade's shoulders, tugging him in close. One of Wade's hands is at his waist, the other has found its way to his thigh and pulls his leg up to his waist. He feels him all along his body and it's almost distracting, except he's hyper-aware of what needs to be handled.

"Wade," he says, pulling out of the kiss, "This is serious."

"I'm serious too," Wade whispers, kissing his cheek and then his jawline. "I'm not going anywhere, Spidey."

"What are you talking about? You can't come back to New York. Not right now, anyway."

"Look, Spidey-"

"It's Peter, actually. Out of the suit. Peter Parker."

Wade's actually struck silent by his words for a few seconds, then continues on.

"Okay. Petey. I guess you didn't know this, but the only reason I'm in New York is because of you. And if you think I'm about to ditch out when you're finally down for some making out, you're crazy mistaken."

"I thought you were in New York because you were banned from thirty other states."

"Twenty-five, actually."

"Anyway, that's not a reason to stick around in a city full of superheroes when you're a wanted criminal. I can drop you off anywhere and I'll call you when it's safe to come back."

"I'm not going anywhere. You're all I've got Spidey, and I'm sticking with you. Wanted criminal or not."

"Don't be stupid-"

"I got nothing else going for me in my life. You and I both know I didn't kill anybody, and they'll figure it out for themselves. In the meantime, I'm staying. That's all I want."

"Wade, you can't... you can't be serious."

Peter wants to cry. A mix of Wade's devotion and unrelenting admiration too much for him at once. This is the part of the vigilante no one else gets to see; no one else gets to understand and fall in love with.

"I'd say I'm always serious, but we both know that's not true."

"Yeah, suppose not," Peter agrees.

He thinks he needs space to think but he has no desire for Wade to move away from him. He tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling instead. A kiss is pressed to the underside of his throat and his breath stutters.

"You're enjoying this." His hands move to his cheeks, guiding him back far enough for him to look forward again and meet his gaze.

"Just taking advantage of the consent before you change your mind."

"Why would I change my mind?"

"Because you feel guilty that Captain Make America Great Again kidnapped me. You've got a weird guilt complex thing."

"I do not," Peter protests, "Besides, you think I haven't wanted this as long as you have? I just - look, we can talk about that later."

"Trust me, baby boy, I've wanted this _way_ longer."

"Are you trying to make this a competition?" Peter asks, unimpressed.

"I have receipts, baby. I have fanfic and fanart, dated and timestamped and watermarked. I win this one."

"Fine, fine, you win, can we focus, please?"

"Do I get a kiss for my well-earned victory?"

"This wasn't a competition!"

"So says the loser."

"Oh, for heaven's sake..."

He relents and draws Wade in for another kiss. After all, they have a bit of time to spare.

His hands clench around the orange jumpsuit and when he pulls back he says, "The first thing we need to do is get you out of this horrible prison outfit."

"That's a sexy suggestion."

"We have some spare clothes around here, I'm sure something will fit," Peter says, slipping out from between Wade and the console and starts searching through the compartments.

"That's much less exciting than what I was picturing."

Peter laughs, "Sorry to disappoint, but that orange is very obvious and it's not your colour anyway."

"Don't think there is a colour that matches with this ugly mug."

"I wouldn't say that. I think red's your best colour, though I might be biased." He pulls out a dark blue hoodie and black sweatpants that seem about the right fit and wanders back to Wade. He holds out the clothing for him to grab, "Here, put this on. Leave the one-piece in the corner over there."

"Sure." 

Wade drops the clothes and starts removing the jumpsuit, reaching around for the zipper. Peter feels his cheeks warm and walks around him, doing what he can not to stare. He sits in the pilot's seat and sets out a course. The jet's slowed to be easier on their gas levels, but they have to do something before those Shield agents wake up to find they're missing their prisoner.

Once he's finished changing, Wade steps up next to Peter, leaning back against the controls as there's no second seat upfront.

Peter gives him a slow once-over, now that it's a bit more acceptable to do that, and smiles, "Much better. Less wanted criminal and more college kid on a midnight adventure in search of the ever-elusive Cheetos."

"That's specific," Wade says though he's smiling too.

"I've lived it once or twice," Peter shrugs. "Alright, time for a game plan."

"I'm more than willing to listen to all of your ideas, pumpkin, but I'm going to shoot them all down."

"I know. So I have a counter-offer. You disappear for one week; I'll drop you off in Maine and you make your way back from there. There are some huge parks, I'll drop you off somewhere quiet. That'll give me enough time to have an idea what's going on back in the city and it's no longer than when you go off on missions so you won't miss me too much," he teases.

"Impossible. But - _but_! - I suppose I'll let you win this one."

Peter's eyes narrow, "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Just," Wade's hand flops around for a second in search of a lie that doesn't come. "I was thinking. If anyone's going to be dumb - I mean, brave and courageous and super sexy - enough to risk breaking me out of jail, it'd be Spidey. And I doubt I'm the only one that can connect those dots."

"Ah. Right."

Peter Parker would be the first to admit that Wade still has some issues; sometimes he needs to take a mission out of country and burn through his feelings, and sometimes he's cranky and snappy and Peter knows he wants to be left alone, and sometimes he shoots his gun in places he shouldn't although he isn't aiming at anyone. But Wade's also a really good person when it counts, and right now, he's looking out for Peter.

If only everyone else got to see this part of him too, they wouldn't be in this situation.

He sets in their destination, has Friday verify that the location will be empty of wanderers, and then he slips out of the pilot's seat. He finds snacks in an overhead compartment and takes a seat on one of the benches along the wall, patting the spot beside him. Wade happily plops down and they share the food, both of them hungry after the whole ordeal.

"What happened on your end? They told me that they used my number to text you, and I guess Steve and Natasha ambushed you?"

"Pretty much. Asked to meet at our usual spot and went there and there they were. Had a nice trap laid out for me and everything. Once she got that thing around my neck it was pretty much over for me."

"I'm sorry," he says.

Wade leans closer and presses their shoulders together, "For what? You're the one who saved my ass."

"I know, but I'm sorry that they used me to get to you. I hope, well... I hope you didn't think I had any part in it."

"Not even for a second." Peter meets his smile. Although Wade's never seen his full face before, he's stared at those lips long enough to know what's sitting behind them, "You're doing that guilt thing again. Seriously, it's cool. I know you wouldn't sell me out like that."

"I wouldn't," Peter agrees. "Did they tell you what they were accusing you of?"

"Murdering some diplomat lady."

"Did you tell them you didn't do it?"

"What makes you so sure I didn't?" Wade asks.

Peter rolls his eyes, "Because that was the night we finally cleared the Remastered Halo on Legendary."

"Hell yeah, that was a good night."

"So? What did you tell them?"

"Nothing, I just laughed in their faces. Wouldn't have mattered anyway, they were never going to believe me."

"I hope they get Chameleon."

"He's a smug bastard, he'll tell them everything. Fucked up our bust though."

"Yeah." Peter goes quiet by his side, munching on a granola bar.

Wade takes a wild guess at what's on his mind, "Was Stark in on it? Is that why you've got the mopey face thing going on?"

"I care about you, obviously, and he knows that but he still... Steve said they were supposed to go through with this tomorrow but did it today instead because he thought Tony would warn me about all this, but that doesn't negate the fact he agreed with this in the first place. He should have brought this to me right away and he didn't."

"He cares about you; he was looking out for you."

"And I care about _you_!"

"I think that's two different kinds of caring unless I've seriously misread the situation. He wants what's best for you and he doesn't think that's me. He's not exactly wrong."

"He's wrong, and so are you. You're what's best for me, and even if you weren't, that's my choice to make. And on top of all that, he went through our texts! That way Natasha could impersonate me better. Sure, I've got nothing to hide, but it's still a major invasion of privacy."

"That's... yeah. That's not cool."

"I wish he trusted me more."

"I don't think it's a matter of trust, Petey. People do stupid things when they're worried."

He sighs, "I just thought our boundaries were already set. I thought..."

"I know," Wade reassures him.

Their eyes meet and they share a gentle smile. Wade leans down slowly, giving him time to pull back if he wanted to, and kisses him when he doesn't. It's warm and gentle, Peter's toes tingle and curl in pleasure. In their shared space, it's calm and new and like sitting side by side all night long playing video games but somehow better.

The rest of the flight goes well.

They pop into Maine to drop off Wade, who parts from him with another long kiss and a gentle pat to his backside because he can get away with it.

"One week, baby boy, and then I'm wining and dining your fine ass."

"I look forward to it," Peter says with a grin.

When he's finally alone on the jet, he takes the pilot's seat and has Friday take him home. It lands on the roof and he's surprised that he isn't immediately greeted by Tony or the other Avengers. He cautiously takes the elevator to Tony's floor, where he'll find his bedroom, and is even further surprised when it's empty.

He changes into his suit and hesitates in front of the open window.

No, he decides. He can't talk to Tony yet, or any of them.

"Hello, Mr. Parker," Friday greets him, getting his attention.

"Hey, Fri, what's up?"

"The Boss has asked that you spend the night in your room at the Tower. I have made adjustments to some of my recordings, and should Shield have questions we will notify them that you were here all evening and night. It would be best that you are not seen out in the city at this time."

"Oh," he says smartly. "Um, if asked, what have I been doing?"

"You arrived at approximately 7:30 pm in search of Wade Wilson and were notified by The Avengers that he is away on a mission. You spent the rest of the evening in the lab with the Boss and headed to bed at 12:03 am."

That could have been true. Tony could have told him Wade's away on a mission and he'd have believed him. Tony decided to be honest with him, giving him the opportunity to save Wade before it was too late. A lot of actions have taken place since this all started with the diplomat's death, and despite the betrayal done out of love, there are still some good things too.

This could have gone better, but it also could have gone much worse. Because they might think him too smart to consider breaking a prisoner out of the Ice Box, but Peter's not so sure he isn't stupid enough to try.

"Alright, thanks for the heads up. But, um, I'm not really in the mood to talk to anyone right now, if you can... I don't know, don't say it like that, but..."

"I will advise them that you are asleep, Mr. Parker. No one will disturb you."

"You're a lifesaver."

"I do what I can," she quips back.

He plugs his phone in the charger and sees that Wade's somehow already got himself a new burner phone and has sent him a text. It's just an eggplant followed by a kissing emoji, but Peter has zero doubts about the sender. He responds with a rainbow and a double kissing emoji because he's feeling mushy.

Reassured that he'll get a call or a text if an emergency arises, he sleeps fairly well through the night.

As soon as he wakes up he answers the cheerful good morning text and can't find the energy to leave his room yet. He has a rather large window, perfect for coming and going at all hours of the day, and he curls himself up on the wide windowsill. It's a cloudy morning and there's not much visible to him as high as he is in the Tower. He's sitting sideways with his knees drawn up to his chest, and his bare feet are chilled pressed against the wooden sill.

He shares a lab with Tony Stark. He has his very own bedroom; all of the Avengers have their rooms, but Peter's is down the hall from the one Tony shares with Pepper and that means something. The cluttered storage room next door might become a nursery going off how the two adults are talking about kids lately. Tony came to his college graduation in a baseball cap and sunglasses to not overshadow the event. He's stitched him up on countless occasions, cursing under his breath about trouble-seeking teenagers, and then spends the next 72 hours with the Spider-Man suit in his lab trying to make sure it doesn't happen again.

There's no suit in the world that will keep Peter from being injured, but he tries.

When it starts drizzling outside and Peter's watching the droplets on the window to see which one will win his imaginary race, Tony knocks gently on his door.

"Come in," he calls out.

The door's opened, "Hey, kiddo. Can we talk or are you still debating the pros and cons of elder abuse?"

"You know, it's less fun to make fun of your old age when you do it too."

"I know," he grins cheekily, "So?"

"Are you sober enough for a decent talk or should I get you a bloody mary first?"

"Touché. I deserved that." Tony shuts the door and walks over to Peter. He sits at his feet, just enough space for him to fit between his toes and the wall. He shifts his upper body to face Peter better. "I got a killer headache that I deserve and took enough meds to be functional. My attention is all yours."

"Cool." Peter glances out of the window. He's always liked the sound of rain, it masks the sounds of the city that sometimes grate on his sensitive hearing.

Tony waits patiently for him to speak, and it gives him time to process what he wants to say.

"I don't know if it's the right word, but I know I'm not angry, not anymore, and I'm not sad, exactly. I think I'm disappointed."

Tony leans back against the window and his hands sit in his lap. He stares at the opposite wall.

"I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but-"

"No, it doesn't," Tony interrupts gently. "I think that's the perfect word for the way you should be feeling right now. It's disappointing when someone does something you think is beneath them, or when you expect someone to be better and they aren't. I... shouldn't have done what I did. I had no right to do that, and the Avengers didn't either."

"I wouldn't have cared as much if it was just them."

"I know," Tony says. "And I'm sorry, and I could say I'm sorry a thousand times and it wouldn't be enough. I promise that I'm never going to do that to you ever again, but I realize that once is already one too many times to do that sort of thing."

"Did you really think I'd be too biased?"

"No, I didn't. You've never hesitated to put me in my place before, I know you'd treat Wilson the same way."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

Tony sighs. He crosses his arms.

"I'm tired of fighting with Steve," he says honestly. "There's no winning when he's got an idea in his head and I convinced myself to go along with it."

"What changed your mind?"

"You love him, and that must mean there's something pretty special about him that I just haven't seen yet. I trust your judgment, kiddo."

Peter picks at the knee of his pajama pants and can't help the smile that pulls at his lips. Tony reaches out and pats his hand.

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," he whispers.

The silence that falls around them feels much more comfortable.

"I don't want you drinking again. You said you were done with all that ages ago."

"I am, but even adult superheroes have their moments of weakness every once in a while. I'll do better."

"I forgive you, Tony."

"You shouldn't."

"It's my choice. But... I'd like it if you would try harder with Wade."

"Try harder?"

"Try to get along with him, or get to know him better. I'm not saying you have to like him, but you haven't tried at all. I don't know if you guys caught Chamelon, or if he's going to be acquited, but if he is, maybe we can do something together?"

"I... sure. I can do that. And we did, by the way. They got Chameleon and Natasha just had to show her face and he admitted to the whole thing. He even gave us the name of his buyer."

"If only we'd known it'd be that easy we would have asked for her help ages ago."

"No you wouldn't have - you love catching the baddies all on your own."

"Yeah, you got me there."

"Shield reached out to us for details. We shifted the blame to some Weapon X guys since there was a giant hole punched through their helicarrier that needed explaining, and it looks like they'll overlook it if he shows up in the city again. I'd give it a few days, but we're in the clear. So long as he stays under the radar for a while and doesn't cause any trouble."

"Really?!" Peter exclaims, eyes wide with joy. He shifts to his knees and throws his arms around his mentor, tucking his face into his shoulder. "Thank you!"

Tony laughs and pulls one arm free from between their bodies and pats his back, "Yeah, yeah, don't make a habit of breaking out criminals, okay? You're supposed to be the law-abiding superhero in this household."

Peter snorts purposely loud in Tony's ear.

"Sure, boss."

"Alright, alright, we're good. This has been our mushy talk of the year, make sure to tell May so she doesn't get on my case about us 'expressing our feelings'."

"I'll mark it on the calendar." Peter draws back, and his smile is genuine and bright.

"And once Wilson is back in town, you let me know. We'll have a family dinner. My only condition is no weapons, so the swords and guns stay at home."

"That'd be... that'd be really awesome. Thank you." Peter slips off the sill, "I've got to tell Wade."

Tony smiles at his excitement, and stands and stretches out the aches from the uncomfortable seating arrangement. 

Peter tugs the phone out of the charger and there are already a few unread texts. He reads through them and turns it around to show Tony a specific image.

"Look!"

"You're a dog person, Pete. What's with the cats?"

"But look at its _face_!"

"I'm heading out. Text your boyfriend then come get some breakfast. I'll make us waffles."

"Alright," Peter says distractedly, already replying to Wade's image of a kitten.

Tony walks up to him and gives him a proper hug, forcing him to put down the phone. "I love you, kiddo."

"I love you, too," Peter answers with warmth dripping from each word.

Tony Stark has the softest spot when it comes to Peter Parker. If asked, Tony would smile and proudly say that yes, he loves the brat.

The boyfriend is okay, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! I really hope you enjoyed. Again, check out spideypoolbigbang on Tumblr and Luce-xoxo on Deviantart!
> 
> I spent way too long trying to figure out how to get the images in here lol
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing what else comes out throughout the month! There's so much amazing content for all you Spideypool fans out there :)


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